How Do You Dispose of Aerosol Cans?

Make sure it is really empty. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says many waste aerosols contain unused chemical product and excess propellant even if they seem empty, and that to be classified as empty, an aerosol can must contain no compressed ignitable propellant or product, meaning it will not release pressure through an open, working valve.

In a final rule published December 9, 2019, and effective February 7, 2020, the EPA added aerosol cans to its universal waste regulations, which now apply to five types of universal waste, batteries, pesticides, mercury-containing equipment, lamps and aerosol cans. The EPA said the streamlined rules are expected to ease regulatory burdens on retail stores and others that discard hazardous waste aerosol cans, promote the collection and recycling of the cans, and encourage municipal and commercial programs that reduce the amount going to landfills or combustors.

The EPA noted in the rule that households that generate waste aerosol cans are exempt from federal hazardous waste management requirements under the household hazardous waste exemption.